Loom



NUV. 3, W. VAN JEWETT LOOM Filed May 15, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z! 1N VEN TOR. I MZZIIYM Malawi; al a/3% A TTORNEY.

NOV. 3, 1936. VAN 1 JEWETT 2,@59,357

LOOM

Filed May 15, 1953 3 Sheets-Shet 2 T IN VEN TOR.

I 111/007 2 0091 fizz/eff 65 BY Nov. 3, 1936. w. VAN D. JEWETT 2,059,357

LOOM

Filed May 15, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

Patented Nov. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATET OFFICE LOOM York

Application May 15,

9 Claims.

My invention relates to looms and particularly to means and mechanism for controlling and effecting change of shuttles in the loom together with means for stopping operation of the loom during the change of shuttle with provision of automatic means for preventing the loom starting. unless and until a shuttle containing yarn or thread of predetermined type replaces a shuttle containing yarn or thread of the same type.

Certain types of looms employ at least two shuttles which run alternately for a predetermined number of picks across the race between their respective shuttle. boxes at the driving end of the loom and thereplenishing end of the loom, the shuttles being driven across the race by picker sticks in known manner, and the shuttle boxes being alined with the lay at the driving end of the loom by a rod connected to and actuated by standard parts of looms in known manner, The 90 construction and arrangement is such that one box is alined with the lay until the shuttle in that box has made the predetermined number of trips back and forth across the race, at which time said box is moved out of alinement with the race and another is moved into alinement until the shuttle in that box has made the predetermined number of trips back and forth across the race, and so on. It is desirable in certain classes or types of fabrics to provide that the respective shuttles shall carry bobbins on which are yarns or threads of predetermined different characteristics, such, for example, as a difference in color. In other words, it may be desirable to have one shuttle carry a bobbin with red thread or yarn, another shuttle a bobbin with. blue thread or yarn, and so on, so that the shuttle with the red yarn or thread shall travel back and forth across the lay one or more complete trips, and then the other shuttle do the same; Eventually it becomes necessary to replenish the supply of the yarn or thread on the bobbins in the shuttles. In certain types of looms change of shuttles or replenishment is generally accomplished by discharging one of the shuttles at the'replenishing end of the lay where a new one is automatically inserted. Now, when there is a difference in the type or character of the yarn or thread on the respective shuttles, it is all important to the production of a uniform fabric, that the shuttle which is discharged shall be replaced by a shuttle containing a bobbin on which is woundayarn or thread of the same character.

With the foregoing in mind, an important objeot of my invention is to provide means not only for accomplishing the replenishment by dis,

1933, SerialNo. 671,211

charging a shuttle containing. an exhausted or nearly exhausted bobbin, but to also assure that it will be replaced by a shuttle containing a bobbin holding thread or yarn of the same characteristics, and to prevent operation of the loom in the event that the shuttle which is to replace the one being discharged does. not contain a bobbin carrying the same kind of yarn or thread.

I do not deem it necessary, at this time, to refer specifically to all of the objects and advantages of the invention, as the. same will be completely revealed or pointed out during the course of the following detaileddescription of the drawings forming part of this application, but I would at this time mention, that my invention provides for the conversion of plain shuttle looms into selective shuttle looms by a relatively simple construction and combination of parts hereinafter specifically described and without materially alterning the existing structures of looms to which the invention may be applied. I wish it to be understood that looms embodying the invention may be constructed originally and that the invention is not limited in any way to the conversion of existing structures, the invention being applicable to new as well as to old looms.

In the accompanying drawings I have not attempted to show a complete loom nor all of the parts for effecting the various steps in the weaving of the fabric including the mechanism for effecting movements of the shuttle boxes at the driving end of the loom nor the shuttle changing mechanism at the replenishing end of the loom, but I have only illustrated more or less diagrammatically the arrangement of the parts for effecting the steps in accordance with my invention, and in detail, so much of the apparatus as I have especially designed, combined, and actually operated.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a loom of the type above mentioned looking at the. replenishing end;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 through the shuttle supply magazine;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail perspective View of means for preventing starting of the loom under certain circumstances, constructed and operated in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the shuttle boxes at the driving end of the loom showing associated parts functioning in conjunction therewith;

Fig. 5 is -a fragmentary elevation of parts for stopping the loom during the changeof a shuttle in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of electric circuits arranged and controlled in accordance with my invention and showing two shuttles more or less diagrammatically and in elevation in their respective positions relative toelectric contacts forming part of the electric circuits;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation partly in section of a specially designed shuttle magazine gate;

Fig. 8 is a view on the lines 88 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 7; and

Fig. 10 is an enlarged view taken on the line ||J|0 of Fig. 8.

In Fig. 1 the numeral 1 designates a portion of the frame of a loom at the replenishing side thereof, and 8 the magazine to contain reserve shuttles, and supported adjacent the end of the breast-beam at the replenishing end of the loom. The magazine, as shown in Fig. 2, has tapering ends conforming substantially to the shape of the ends of shuttles S and spaced apart a distance substantially the same as the length of the shuttles. 9 is a shuttle support disposed across the bottom of the magazine 8 and attached to arms H) which are pivotally mounted on a pin around which is a coil spring (not shown) to normally hold the arms Ill and support 9 in the position shown in Fig. 1 with the lowermost shuttle resting on the support 9. The pins I l are also journaled through lugs I2 on the front of the magazine, and the parts 9, H), H, |2, |3, may be termed the magazine gate, and will be so referred to hereinafter. A depending finger |3 is attached to the gate. A shuttle ejector designated generally by the numeral 24 and having at its upper surface horizontally disposed fingers 25 is connected to a conveyor lever 26 which is pivotally mounted on the frame I at 28 adjacent the bottom thereof and below the usual hopper 21 to receive ejected or empty shuttles. Behind the depending finger l3 there is connected to the ejector for movement with the conveyor lever 25, a projection 29. The conveyor lever 25 is connected at 30 to a cam on the usual changeshaft, not shown, to actuate the lever. A chute 3| leads from the front edge of the race R down into the hopper 27. At the front edge of the race behind the chute 3| are normally disposed the arms 32 of a rocker pivotally mounted at 33 on brackets 34, which are usually attached to the transfer end of the lay. The arms 32 are normally held in the position shown in Fig. l. by a spring 32' connected to the bracket and to the arms. As is well known, the rockers are moved to lift the arms 32 when a change of shuttles is to be effected at the replenishing end of the lay by a rod 35 connected to the short end of the rockers. and also connected to mechanism operated by the said change-shaft, not shown. An ejector has an arm 36 disposed at the rear of the race and between which and the arms 32 the shuttles run. This ejector is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 1 and is operated by movement of the arms 32 to remove the shuttle from the lay and project it down the chute 3| into the hopper 21 whenever the mechanism operated by the change-shaft raises the arms 32. This mechanism and its operation is so well known that I deem it unnecessary to make any detailed description thereof in this application.

All of the parts thus far described, except for details hereinafter explained, are well known and of standard type, and, furthermore, it has long been provided in connection with such looms, that the conveyor lever 26 be provided with a rib 3! having in its upper portion a hook formation 38 to cooperate with a hook 39 to prevent the ejector from moving to the lay with a new shuttle in the event that a shuttle is not discharged down the chute 3| to trip the plate 4!], it being understood that when the plate 40 is tripped the hook 39 is withdrawn, so that it cannot engage with the hook formation 38 on the conveyor lever.

Referring to Fig. 4, the numeral 4| designates generally the frame containing the shuttle boxes, said frame being mounted at the driving end of the loom and having upper and lower boxes 42 and 43 across the front of which are the binders B, each binder being hingedly connected to the frame in known manner and engaged by springs 44. Swellers 45 are mounted at the end of the frame 4| in alinement with the upper and lower shuttle boxes and engage the end of crank arm 46 as the shuttles move in and out of the boxes to turn said crank arm, whereby the usual daggers (not shown) are lifted so as not to contact the buffers (not shown) during operation of the loom when all conditions are right. The structure thus far described in connection with Fig. 4 is well known and is standard on many looms and the frame 4| is raised and lowered by rod 4? in known manner to bring the shuttle boxes alternately into alinement with the race.

As has been mentioned, the principal and general object of my invention is to provide means for assuring a proper selective change of shuttles and to prevent a change of shuttles and starting of the loom, unless the shuttle to be inserted contains a bobbin with thread or yarn of the same type as that in the shuttle which is removed by the automatic mechanism described in connection with Fig. 1. To the accomplishment of this object, I provide a weft detector or feeler for each of the shuttle boxes 42 and 43, such detectors or feelers preferably being of known type and in the nature of electric switches 48, 48', and each having a finger or looped wire 49, 49' respectively disposed in the path of openings 50, 50' in the shuttle box frame, the former in the top of the frame and the latter in the bottom. Obviously, each time the shuttle box is moved up by the rod 41, the finger 49 enters the top shuttle box for engagement with the thread or yarn on the bobbin therein and each time the shuttle box frame is moved down by the rod 41, the finger 49' enters the opening 50 to contact the thread or yarn on the bobbin in the lower shuttle box. If the thread or yarn on the bobbin is practically exhausted, then the fingers 49, 49, will be moved to close an electric circuit shown in Fig. 6 through the switches 48, 48 according to which of the shuttles needs replacement.

Before describing the electric circuits which may be closed by the switches 43, 48, I would refer again to Figs. 1 and 2, wherein there is shown at the bottom of the magazine 8 and mounted, integral with the magazine gate, an insulating block 5|52 containing electrical contacts, 54, 54 and 56, 55. Electric wires 53, 53', and 55, 55' are connected to- 54, 54 and 56, 5 respectively. It will be noted that the pair of contacts 54, 54 are spaced from the contacts 56, 56 and that all of the contacts extend into the magazine a sufficient distance to engage the shuttles and particularly contact plates (Fig. 6) 5! and 58, which contact plates are mounted on the respective shuttles at points corresponding to the positions of the respective pairs of contacts 54, 54 and 56, 55. Assuming, for the purpose of illustration, that the top shuttle box 42 is to carry shuttles with bobbins wound with blue yarn or thread and the lower' shuttlebox 46 is to carry shuttles containing bobbins wound with red yarn or thread, all of the blue bobbins will, under the arrangement shown, be inserted in shuttles having contact plates 58, that is, contact plates which in the magazine" are alined with the contacts 56, 56; and all of the bobbins containing red yarn or thread will be inserted in shuttles having contact plates 51, that is, contact plates alined with the contacts 54, 54. The shuttles are arranged in the magazine alternately, that is, a shuttle of one color is first inserted and then one of another color and so on, whereby the contact plates 5! and 58 are also alternately arranged facing the front of the magazine.

Referring to Fig. 5, I have shown the topportion of lever 59, which is actuated by a cam on 20"- the cam shaft in known manner. As the loom operates, the lever 59 oscillates back and forth in the directions indicated by the arrows. The top of the lever is provided with a projection 60 normally disposed above the notch 6| in the latch 62, which is connected by means of a stud 62 to the arm 63'. The arm 63 is keyed toa shaft 63 which is mounted at one end in a bearing 64, connected to the side frame F of the loom, and at the other end by means of a bracket (not shown) connected to the breast beam. On the end of the shaft 63 is keyed a tripper (not shown) which, when actuated through movement. of 62 and 63, engages the shipper handle; (not shown) at the end of the loom, thereby stopping the 100m. The latch 62 carries a set screw 64 so that the notch 6! may be relatively positioned with respect to the projection 68. Above the latch 62 I mount an electro-magnet 65 connected in the circuits as hereinafter described and actuated by the switches 48, 48'. When one of the shuttles is to be renewed, the electro-mag net 65 is energized raising the latch 62 and disposing the notch 61 in the path of movement of the projection 68 for engagement thereby to stop the loom and thus cause the shuttle to be changed. Stopping of the loom in this manner, that is,.by, stopping the lever 59 is well known, but so far' as I am aware, this has not been accomplished by the action of an electro-magnet particularly in the combination embodying my invention.

In the event that the lowermost shuttle in the magazine, when a change is called for, does not contain a bobbin carrying thread of the proper characteristics, I prevent the conveyor lever 26 (Fig. 3) from operating by means mounted on the lower portion of the frame I and comprising an arm 66 rigidly connected to the lever 26 by clamp 61 also having the pivot 28 mounted therethrough. One end 68of the arm 66 extends toward the top end 69 of a latch or keeper pivotally mounted on the frame at E8 and having a treadle H. Also mounted on the frame in front of the latch is an electro-magnet 12 connected in the electric circuits through wires 13, 13'. The operation of the parts just described will be better understood after the description of the electric diagram shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to- Fig. 6, a transformer T may be connected to a switch S, and wire 75 is connected by branches I6, 16, to the electro-magnets 65a and 65b and also connected to the wire 13 leading to the electro-magnet 12. The switches 68', 48" are grounded through wire 11. The switch tans connected through the wire 18' and branch 78" to the electro-magnet 65a in housing 6 5 and by wire 19 to the wire 53" and contact 54 The switch 48' is connected by a wire 88 and to the electro-magnet 65b in housing 65. The wires 53, 55, leading from contacts 54, 56-, are connected to the wire 13 leading to the electro-magnet 12.

With the foregoing in mind and remembering that for the purpose of illustration, I am as suming that the upper shuttle box contains blue yarn and the lower one red, and that the red shuttles have contact plates 5! and the blue ones-- contact plates 58, and assuming that the shuttles are arranged as shown in Fig. 6, and that the detector 48 calls for a replenishment of blue yarn, switch 48 closes a circuit through wires 18, 7-8, 76 T5, energizingthe electro-magnet 65a, whereby the latch 62 is lifted and stops operation of the loom. At the same time another circuit is completed through wires 78, 19 53, contacts 54, 54, contact plate 57, wires 53, 13, energizing the electro-magnet 12, whereby the latch 69 is drawn to the position shown in Fig. 3, that is, with the keeper 69 engaging the. end 68' of the arm 66 and holding the conveyor lever 26 against movement. This is due to the fact that the switch 48 called for a change in blue shuttles but a red one happened to be next in order in the magazine, whereas had a shuttle with a contact plate 58 been next in order a circuit would not have been completed through the wires l8, 19, 53, 53, 73 because there would have been no contact plate to bridge the contacts 54, 54', and, therefore, the electro-magnet 12 would not have become energized and the latch would not have engaged the end 66 of the arm 66, hence the conveyor lever could have swung on its pivot 28 with the projection 29 engaging the finger l3 moving the support 9 from under the bottommost shuttle and letting the shuttle drop on to the fingers 25, after which, through known mechanism, the conveyor lever would have moved over to the race and inserted the blue shuttle, it being understood, of course, that the arms 32 were also raised and the ejector removed from: the exhausted shuttle.

Although the invention may be practiced, and: has actually beenpracticed, by installations and mechanism constructed and arranged as hereinbefore described, I prefer to provide an especially designed form of' magazine gate to carry the contacts, and in Figs. 7-10, I have shown such form of magazine gate. Referring to these figures thenumeral 8' designates the front of a shuttle magazine which is provided with lugs H to receive the bolts i I" the same as in Fig. l. The gate has arms 8|, the upper ends of which also receive the bolts II to hingedly connect the gate to the magazine. The gate is preferably formed of two plates, a rear plate 82 and a cover plate 83', which is attached to the rear plate 82 by screws 84. The plate 82 is recessed at 85 to receive a block 86 of non-conducting material which is secured within the recess by screws 87 threaded through the bottom of part 82. As shown best in Fig. 10 the block 86 is recessed at the lower portion of its rear face at 88, and contact elements designated generally by the numeral 89 are secured to the front of the block 85 by screws 90. The contacts 89 extend through the opening 86 and are inclined downwardly at the rear beyond the block 86- as indicated at 9!, and are then bent inwardly so that their ends 92 are disposed within the recesses 88.

It will be understood that the contacts are arranged in groupsand are spaced; apart in pairs corresponding to the contacts in Fig. 2 for engagement with the plates 51, 53, on the shuttles. In Fig. 10, I have illustrated the normal position of the contacts in full lines and in dotted lines the position of the contacts as the shuttles pass the same, it being noted that the contacts yield downwardly and inwardly, and of course the same being in the nature of metal bands, possess a certain amount of resiliency which restores them to the full line position when not engaged by a shuttle. Formed on the part 82, or attached thereto, are the shuttle seats 25 and the depending finger l3 corresponding to the same unprimed parts of Fig. 1.

Inasmuch as the operation of the magazine gate is the same as that previously described, I do not deem it necessary to go into further details in describing the operation of the parts in connection with the arrangement of Figs. 7-10. One of the advantages of the gate shown in Figs. '7l0 is that the contact blocks may be made as units with the contact arms 89 attached thereto, for insertion into the recesses provided in the gate. Furthermore, the electric wires, which are to be connected to the respective contacts, may be clamped beneath the screws 99. The front plate 83 may be made as a solid casting to completely cover the contacts, or it may be made with an opening in the front if so desired. If the plate 83 is solid and provided with no opening, access is gained to the contacts by simply removing the screws 84 and the plate 83.

I wish it to be understood that the description and disclosure herein made is purely illustrative, and that in actual practice such an arrangement has been found to be entirely reliable and efficient. I do not limit the application of the invention to any particular type of loom, nor to the selective control of any definite number of shuttles. Furthermore, my reference to colors is purely illustrative, as the selective control may be utilized in connection with yarns or threads of various different characteristics.

I claim:

1. In a box loom having a pair of shuttle boxes, a shuttle for each box, a weft detector for each box, means to automatically discharge shuttles from the loom when said shuttles are to be replaced, means to automatically supply new shuttles to the loom, the shuttles for the different boxes having different characteristics and for the same box the same characteristics respectively and means to hold said means for automatically supplying the shuttles inactive unless a shuttle having the same characteristics as the one discharged is delivered to a box from the supply means.

2. In a box loom having a plurality of shuttle boxes, a shuttle for each box, a weft detector for each box, the shuttles operating in each box having contact plates arranged thereon at predetermined points, and said contact plates on the shuttles in the different boxes being at different relative points, a supply magazine, electrical contacts disposed in the path of the plates on the shuttles in the magazine for contact with the lowermost shuttle, means to automatically convey the lowermost shuttle from the magazine to the loom race, electric switches operable by said weft detectors to complete an electric circuit through said contacts and plates on the shuttles if a shuttle having contacts arranged at points different from those on the shuttle to be replaced is lowermost in the magazine, and means operable by said electric circuit to hold said conveying means inactive in the event such circuit is completed.

3. In a loom having a pair of shuttle boxes each to contain a shuttle with yarn of different characteristics, the shuttles for the different boxes having different characteristics and for the same box the same characteristics respectively, a weft detector for each box, a shuttle supply magazine to contain a reserve supply of said shuttles, means to eject said first shuttles individually, means to convey new shuttles from said magazine to replace said ejected shuttles, means to stop operation of the loom during replacement of the shuttles, and means to prevent operation of said shuttle conveying means unless the shuttle to be conveyed is the same as that to be replaced and contains yarn of the same character as that in the shuttle ejected, said last two means being actuated by electric circuits controlled by said detectors.

4. In a loom having a pair of shuttle boxes each to contain a shuttle with yarn of different characteristics, the shuttles for the different boxes having different characteristics and for the same box the same characteristics respectively, a weft detector for each box, a shuttle supply magazine to contain a reserve supply of said shuttles, means to eject said first shuttles individually, means to convey new shuttles from said magazine to replace said ejected shuttles, means to stop operation of the loom during replacement of the shuttles, and means to prevent operation of said shuttle conveying means unless the shuttle to be conveyed is the same as that ejected and contains yarn of the same character as that in the shuttle ejected, said last two means being actuated by electric circuits controlled by said detectors, and the circuit actuating the means to prevent operation of said shuttle conveying means being completed through contacts on the shuttles and magazine.

5. The structure of claim 1 wherein said last means is operated by an electro-magnet selectively energized by a circuit established through either of said detectors and contacts on the shuttles and their supply magazine.

6. In a box loom having a plurality of shuttle boxes, a shuttle for each box, a weft detector for each shuttle, a shuttle supply magazine, means to automatically replace the respective shuttles, means to automatically stop operation of the loom during operation of the shuttle changing means, electrical contacts on the magazine, electrical contacts on the shuttles for engagement with the contacts on the magazine, switches operable by said weft detectors and included in circuits with said contacts on the magazine, and an electromagnet in said circuits to operate the means for stopping operation of the loom.

'7. In a box loom having a pair of shuttle boxes, a shuttle for each box, a weft detector for each box, a shuttle supply magazine to contain a reserve supply of shuttles, the shuttles for the different boxes having different characteristics and for the same box the same characteristics respectively, means to automatically convey the lowermost shuttle from said magazine to the loom race, and mechanism including means on said magazine and shuttles to control operation of said means toconvey the lowermost shuttle by holding said conveying means inactive unless the lowermost shuttle in the magazine has the same characteristics as the one to be replaced.

8. In a box loom having a pair of shuttle boxes, and means to shift the shuttle boxes relative to the shuttle race of the loom, a shuttle for each box, the shuttles for the different boxes having electrical contacts thereon at different locations and for the same box having the elec-- trical contacts arranged at the same locations respectively, a weft detector for each box, electrical switches operable by said weft detectors, a shuttle supply magazine, groups of electrical contacts on said magazine and arranged at pre-' determined different intervals corresponding to the arrangement of the contacts on the shuttles for the different boxes and engageable by the lowermost shuttle in the magazine, means to convey the lowermost shuttle from the magazine to the loom race for replenishment, and means to hold said conveying means inactive unless a shuttle having contacts arranged at intervals corresponding to those on the ejected shuttle is delivered to the conveying means, said last means being operable by electric circuits in which the said switches and contacts in the magazine are included and completed by the contacts on the lowermost shuttle.

9. The structure of claim 8 wherein the means for stopping operation of the loom during change of shuttles, and the means to prevent operation of the shuttle conveying means comprise latches each operable by electro-magnets, and wherein the electro-magnet for said first means is always energized when a change of shuttle is needed, and the electro-magnet for said second means is selectively energized.

WILLIAM VAN DUYN JEWETT. 

